Tips, Techniques & Projects for a Bountiful Garden

- Jeff Cox's 100 Greatest Garden Ideas -- Tips, Techniques & Projects for a Bountiful Garden & A Beautiful Backyard

Jeff breaks down his tips into the four seasons, making it very easy to look up what you are seeking. He has gardened for 30 or more years. With a lot of trial and error of thousands of tips he has picked 100 of the most successful.

- Landscaping with Wildflowers -- An Environmental Approach to Gardening, by Jim Wilson

Jim has written this book to help gardeners who already have existing gardens in place. The book will make it easier to fit wildflowers into plantings. It also includes recommended species for our region. Jim Wilson is a favourite author of ours, ever since we saw him many years ago on Victory Garden.

- Wyman's Gardening Encyclopedia, by David Wyman

This book is from the 1970s or perhaps even earlier. It is great for looking up the botanical names of plants, even though it does not have all of the new cultivars.

- Taylor's Guide's - Encyclopedia of Garden Plants

This is a great book but if you wish to take it with you it would be better to purchase their individual books -- which are smaller and more in-depth. These include:

Shrubs; Houseplants; Perennials; Natural Gardening; Shade Gardening; Water-Saving Gardening; Herbs; Roses.

- Flora - Over 20,000 Plants & Their Cultivation Requirements

Includes a CD. This is a great reference book, but we will warn you that it is so large and heavy it has a cover with a carrying handle. We find this is a very up-to-date book.

- Botanica's Roses - The Encyclopedia of Roses

This is another heavy book in a case with a handle, but we would recommend this to anyone who is a rose aficionado.

- Xeriscape Gardening, by Connie Lockhart Ellefson, Thomas L. Stephens & Doug Welsh, PhD

The authors have dedicated this book to the home gardener to improve their environment, save water, money and time, while enjoying their garden. We all know we have had to conserve water each summer and it is going to get even worse as time goes on. So this is a very good book to have in your collection.